Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taylor514ce

Why is that funny?

well, superficially, it's a pun : "i wonder why so many café waiters are called "descartes" ?" Descartes = des cartes (playing cards, which you ask the waiter for to play cards in the café). on a meta level, Queneau was quite interested in Descartes (the philosopher) and studied him quite extensively, and this was his subversive way of slipping an overt reference via a thoroughly un-intellectual joke into a novel which he intended as a litterary illustration of Descartes "Discours de la méthode". so you can add a tacit second-degree "wink wink, nudge nudge" to the (superfically rather terrible) joke.

never mind. as pshrynk has reminded me, it's not funny if you have to explain it.

Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

I'd love to go there. A rivetting place, I'm sure. Jean-Paul Sartre is seated amongst the Chicagoers, revising his draft of Being and Nothingness. He says to the waitress, "I'd like a cup of coffee, please, with no cream." The waitress replies, "I'm sorry, sir, but we're out of cream. How about with no milk?"

Quote:

Originally Posted by pshrynk

For some reason, the only "similar thread" at the bottom of the page is: "Piracy: And the impressions the publishing industry hold of e-books/ers."

well, superficially, it's a pun : "i wonder why so many café waiters are called "descartes" ?" Descartes = des cartes (playing cards, which you ask the waiter for to play cards in the café). on a meta level, Queneau was quite interested in Descartes (the philosopher) and studied him quite extensively, and this was his subversive way of slipping an overt reference via a thoroughly un-intellectual joke into a novel which he intended as a litterary illustration of Descartes "Discours de la méthode". so you can add a tacit second-degree "wink wink, nudge nudge" to the (superfically rather terrible) joke.

there is no global quota for meetups, silly dog. (by the way : next paris meetup is planned for the end of january. mar(k)(c) your calendars !) however if there is *not* a quota for texans then someone has been sleeping on the job*, and since the texans have clearly exceeded this quota, perhaps chicago has to pay. i have no comment on the alleged parisian plot to take over the wor(l)d.

*no offense meant to our fine upstanding texan contingent. y'all know i loves ya. i just think it's sketchy there are so many of you, comparatively speaking.

There's not so many of us, it's just that Texans are real friendly sorts, and are used to going a long ways to see friends...

Yee Haw, just got my BeBook a couple minutes ago! Gotta charge it up and start my Cybook gen3/Bebook comparison.... Hope to have a thread ina week or so...

No foolin'. There is naught more fulfilling that finally getting a recalcitrant fastener to budge, allowing for more work or replacement. That smell, that fish oil smell, it permeates one's skin, the work area, and it lets anyone who is good enough to recognise it that you are person who can get things done.

Taylor-
Good on you for the West Egg Discovery. If you need a good liquor store, hit "Uncork it" on Illinois & McClurg. Great selection of most me Gumballhead beer. Thus, must drown my sorrows in Firefly.

Until my place of work decided to relocate below the 39th parallel, would have bought Taylor & Deb a drink and demanded book recommendations.

Not to hijack, but are there any Low Country Mobile Read members? Not the accursed Dutch, mind you, but folks from South Cackolack.